SPFC, LCCI discuss sustainable forestry

Lahore—The officials of South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) called on Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Abdul Basit and discussed ways to foster mutual partnership, according a press release issued here on Saturday.
The SPFC delegation comprised of Company CEO Tahir Rasheed, Chief Finance Officer (CFO) Salman Ahmad and Director (Projects and Operations) Muhammad Awais. The meeting aimed to discuss the opportunities the SPFC offers to the investors and also to listen to the concerns of the LCCI representatives to make the process inclusive. Any suggestions in this regard can also be incorporated in the upcoming feasibility study.
Briefing the LCCI, Tahir Rasheed said that the SPFC was Punjab government’s entity, established as a public sector company, which aims to stimulate private sector investment alongside public money to reduce deforestation in Punjab and to combine forest conservation with sustainable economic development.
He said, “Punjab Forest Department, after approval of the Punjab government, assigned a plain area of 134,995 acres to SPFC that mainly falls in DG Khan and Bahawalpur divisions. The company aims to grow forests in the designated areas of Punjab Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries departments, which will help create new jobs in rural areas and provide sustained source of raw material to the industry.”—APP